


Hush! Hush! Whisper Who Dares!

by katecupcake



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 05:12:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/618471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katecupcake/pseuds/katecupcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Loosely based on Winnie The Pooh. Can you guess the characters?<br/>Title comes from the poem "Vespers" by A. A. Milne.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Hush! Hush! Whisper Who Dares!

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on Winnie The Pooh. Can you guess the characters?  
> Title comes from the poem "Vespers" by A. A. Milne.

“Will we always be friends forever?”

It was the week before they were to leave for university and they were sitting in their childhood tree house, smoking a joint. Zayn took a hit and passed it to Harry, waiting for the answer.

“Forever and a day. Why wouldn’t we be?”

Zayn sighed and laid his head on his friend’s chest. “The world is a big, scary place. I’d hate to have to face it alone.” Zayn was always fearful, always scared of the ‘what-ifs’, of the improbable. Everything frightened him and he needed Harry to always be there to reassure him things would be alright.

“You won’t.” Harry kissed the top of his head. “You’re braver than you think.” Harry was wise beyond his years. Forgetful and oftentimes completely absentminded, his wisdom was a comfort Zayn hoped he’d always have. Nothing mattered when the two of them were together. “And if it ever gets too much, we’ll come back to the tree house.”

“Do you promise?” The hope in Zayn’s eyes broke Harry’s heart.

“I promise.”

&&&&&&

The first semester of university had its ups and downs. The boys made a few new friends, including Louis, a boy whose energy knew no bounds. Harry swore he had springs in his heels, the way he seemed to bounce everywhere. Louis’s roommate was Liam, a quiet, wise fellow that Harry got on well with.

Zayn even managed to make a new friend, as well; Niall, an Irish spitfire who was the complete opposite of Zayn’s meek personality. Niall sat next to him one day in Speech class. He didn’t have a backpack with him and when Zayn asked him why, he smiled big and said, “I’m just along for the ride!”

The two boys were glad to have made new friends, but Harry always kept a close eye on Zayn. He made sure he ate, slept, and did his homework ahead of the due date (even when he seemed to forget all this for himself sometimes). And at night when Zayn was afraid, Harry would lie with him and rub his back and remind him that he was there and the tree house was always there, forever and a day.

&&&&&&

But then something happened one day. Something that Zayn was afraid would happen, and something Harry never thought would. Harry met someone and forgot about Zayn. And not forgot in his normal forgetful way. No, he forgot Zayn even existed. Because Harry met a boy named Nick.

Nick was not like the others. They all flocked to him, asking him for advice and wanting to hear his stories about his travels and his brushes with minor celebrities while working on the radio. Nick was a junior, but he loved that the younger boys looked up to him so much. His bond with Harry was immediate and intense. They got on in a way the others didn’t, and the friendship soon became stronger than Harry’s friendship with Zayn. And Harry seemed to forget his promise to Zayn. And Zayn seemed to forget how to live without him.

It was a crisp late-October day when Nick and Harry were sitting in Harry’s room, listening to music. Nick was the school’s radio deejay, and he always shared his mixtapes with Harry before playing them for the campus. Harry handed Nick a beer and opened his own. “It’s always so good, Nick. You’re very talented.”

The door opened and Zayn stopped in his tracks when he saw the two boys in his room. “Hello.” He kept his head down and sat on his bed. “Harry, it’s Wednesday. Lasagna night.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Zayn picked at a thread on his jeans, waiting for Harry’s answer.

Harry’s eyes got wide. “I forgot! We’ll go in twenty, yeah? I really want to finish this mixtape. I think it’s the best yet!” He smiled brightly at Zayn. “I know it’s your favorite, we won’t miss it.”

Zayn nodded. He kicked off his shoes and laid his head down. He closed his eyes, and tried to imagine the tree house, where the world wasn’t so scary and Harry was still his best friend.

&&&&&&

Winter announced its arrival with a brutal storm that made the world white and icy. Zayn hadn’t left his room in a week, and Harry spent all his time with Nick. Niall came one day. It must have been a Wednesday, because he had lasagna from the cafeteria with him. He set it on the desk and jumped on the bed with Zayn. “Zayner, we have a speech on Friday! I haven’t written it, but I could, if you want me to? Yeah?” He kicked his feet back and forth, shaking the bed off the wooden blocks. When Zayn gave no response, Niall put his nose to the other boy’s and rubbed them together. “It’s a big part of our grade!”

Zayn sat up and wiped his eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to stay in school, anyhow. I haven’t gone to any of my classes this week and I haven’t done any revisions and…” He clasped his hands together and brought them to his face. “I just want to go home, Niall.”

“Oh, I get it, mate. My mum used to do EVERYTHING for me, even my laundry! But I came here and I’m like my own man. I broke free of her pouch and whatnot.” He pulled the forlorn boy into a strong embrace. “He doesn’t even know what he’s doing. You need to talk to him, Zayn.”

Zayn could feel the tears creeping towards his eyelids. “I know.” He whispered. “Sometimes you have to go to them. But I shouldn’t have to.”

&&&&&&

Harry and Nick were at Louis’ and Liam’s apartment, watching a movie. Harry had tried to bring Zayn, but Zayn just couldn’t be bothered to get out of his bed. Harry had finally realized something bad was happening with Zayn, but he just didn’t know how to say anything. Or sometimes he meant to, but then he forgot, or Nick wanted his help with something. But he knew he needed to.

Liam was quite frustrated with the whole situation. He set Harry’s honey with tea in front of him and clicked his teeth. “You are Zayn have been best friends since you were small. You made a promise to him to keep him safe and protect him, and look at you! You’re doing no such thing! And he is wasting away in his bed because his best friend can’t make time for him. It’s all very ridiculous, if you ask me.” Liam had a lot of opinions, and had no problem sharing them.

Louis tried a different approach. “Just take him by the collar and shake the sad out of him.” He then proceeded to demonstrate…on himself. He fell to the floor. “It’s very effective, I’m never sad!” 

Nick patted Harry’s hand. “You just need to apologize and reassure him that you’re still the friend you were before you left. He’ll forgive you.”

Harry felt just awful. He didn’t mean to leave Zayn behind, but he was just having so much fun living the uni life that he forgot Zayn would take a little time to adjust to this new world. And he had done a terrible job of helping him. Suddenly, the gravity of the situation hit him and he choked out a sob. The three boys wrapped him in a tight embrace as he cried his broken little heart out. He knew what he’d have to do.

&&&&&&

By the time Harry got back to his room the next day, Zayn had already gone home for winter break. He had left a note on Harry’s bed. It simply read, “You know where I’ll be, friend. Tomorrow at 4:30.” Harry wiped a few pesky tears that had stayed behind and picked up his bag. He knew what he had to do.

&&&&&&

It was frigid in the tree house. But Zayn knew his friend would show up. He had faith. Niall promised him that Harry would show up, and promises were gold to Zayn. So, he sat and waited.

And at 4:30 on the dot, Harry’s head popped up the ladder into the tree house. He climbed in and sat across from Zayn. He pulled out a joint and lit it. “Hi, friend.” He whispered. He passed the joint and rested his hands on Zayn’s knees.

Zayn took a hit. And then he started crying. “Harry, you left me. We sat here and you promised me that you would always be my   
friend forever and a day but then one day you weren’t there. And it hurt. It hurt, Harry. I was all alone and I didn’t have my best friend and I didn’t know what to do.” He hiccupped into the back of his hand.

Harry grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him to his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Zayn. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been awful. I know you’ve been miserable. I know I broke my promise. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” He wasn’t even sure of the words leaving his mouth, but he hoped his friend knew he meant them.

They sat there like that for a long while, wrapped around each other, rocking back and forth, the occasional sob and sniffle the only sounds to be heard. “Whenever you weren’t there, I wished you were.” Harry whispered into Zayn’s hair.

Zayn pulled away and wiped his face. He stared at his friend. “I suppose forever is too good to be true.”

Harry nodded. “You’re braver than you know. And even if I’m not there, I’m still with you.”

“Promise?”

“Guarantee.”


End file.
